When One Door Closes
by angelus abyssi
Summary: Raven developes a relationship with the notorious Red X. When Robin discovers the pair, which friendship will falter, the new or the old? RaexRob RaexRedX [WIP]
1. Chapter 1

Okay, hiya peoples! I'm writing another story! Aren't you all so proud? This is my fifth one. I never thought I'd be appreciated enough to have the inspiration to post five stories on here. :wipes tear: Anyway, back to business. This, as you probably discerned from the summary, is a Rob/Rae/Red X thing that was kind of a spur of the moment deal. I have absolutely no idea where I'm going with this and, therefore, no idea whether it will be a one shot or a chapter fic. Hmm… what was I going to say… Oh yeah, summary… Well, basically, Red X is back, BUT he's not doing anything wrong, at least that the Titans can tell. By wrong, I mean illegal. He definitely does some stuff that's wrong in another sense, but you'll se about that. Um, oh yeah, anyway, he starts talking to Raven on a regular basis and Robin finds out about it. Dun dun dun! What will be his reaction? How will the pair explain themselves? _Will_ they even explain themselves? Or will Raven just blow him off, thereby angering him even more? Why am I asking these stupid questions? All will be revealed next time on everyone's favorite television show, **Superheroes: the Legends and the Truth**. Just kidding! I'm on a sugar kick right now. I'm WAY wired. I realized that it's a lot easier to get over writer's block if you're totally and completely filled with sugar. That's wherethis wonderful idea came from. Sadly though, you can't control what you get inspiration for, otherwise I'd be writing SWBTN (Salvation, what be thy name?) or FTL (Follow the Leader). But I'm going to wait a little while to write, because I don't want to screw this story up with my sugar-filled brain. Oh, and forgive the cheesiness at the beginning. I can't think of a good way to start, and I think it's hilarious in spite (or perhaps because) of the cliché.

Moocow

**When One Door Closes**

Chapter One

It was a dark and stormy night, but the residents of Jump City, or even Steel City or Gotham City, weren't worried. They each had their respective heroes to keep them safe from harm. Whether it be a team of Titans or Batman, every citizen knew they could count on their saviors to keep them from harm's way.

But this story isn't about Batman of Gotham City, or even the Titans East of Steel City. This is about the original Teen Titans of Jump City, led by the former sidekick of Batman and consisting of an alien princess, a green changeling, a half-man half-machine hybrid, and a demoness.

Most of the aforementioned heroes were lying in bed, some asleep and some waiting for sleep to come. But one, the demoness, Raven, was out on the roof, sitting in the rain and listening as it hit the roof in a peaceful, steady hum. It wasn't an unusual occurrence in the Titan Tower for one or more of the teens to be out on the roof, enjoying the mild weather and the feel of the cool rain on their skin, but the rain of this night was abnormally rough. Wind ripped at your clothing, rain pounded bruises into you skin, the cold air gave you chills after only a few seconds of being exposed. But the silent young woman looked as if she was doing nothing more than watching the stars in contentment, as if she were immune to the fury of nature that surely would have driven everyone else indoors.

But apparently our presumptions are wrong because lo and behold at the next flash of lightning, a figure appeared on the ledge of the roof, a figure that could only be of a man, with the typically masculine features of a well chiseled chest, finely toned biceps, and a laid back stance that she had only observed in two men before this encounter, one that screamed confidence and made you think of those playboy-jock types, except this was a hundred times more sexy. Not that she would ever admit it to them, of course. Of the two that she had known to display this particular pose on a regular basis, one was for a fact downstairs, asleep in his bed. The location of the other was unknown, but it was unlikely that this figure was of Red X, the notorious, thieving counterpart of Robin- who just happened to be previous of the pair.

Unlikely, of course, but not impossible.

Astonishingly enough, the man on the roof was indeed the infamous Red X, though Raven couldn't even begin to fathom his reasons for being up on the roof of Titans Tower, especially in the middle of the night. She supposed he had been unable to resist the overused 'lightning strike entrance'. Most villains enjoyed taking advantage of clichés. She herself often committed entrance faux pas by teleporting into a room behind people and frightening them. But it was for entertainment purposes only; she only did it because she liked to see them jump.

Although Raven was surprised to see him, she didn't let it affect her cool exterior. She remained calm and watched as he strode towards her, preparing herself for any attack the trespasser might have in store. You could never tell with some of the Titans' latest foes; they were starting to get more and more violent earlier in the battles.

Red X stopped a few feet away from her, both villain and heroine staring into the face of the other. Raven was looking at him in minor shock mingled with disgust, while her counterpart watched her with an unreadable look (He has a mask on, so obviously it's unreadable). In the end, it was he who broke the silence. He stepped forward a bit more and parted his lips to speak.

"Your friends would have at least tried to throw me off the roof by now." It was a simple statement, but with it came the liberating of Raven's hitherto unused voice.

"I am not my friends, as you may have noticed. I have no particular reason to harm you; it's not like you've attacked me yet," she vocalized. The remark caused Red X to throw out his chin defiantly and defend his criminal intents.

"What makes you think I won't?" he asked.

"I never said you wouldn't; I only said you hadn't yet. And besides, if you wanted a fight, then you would have tried to hit me first. There's something else behind your visit here than a grudge match against the Titans," Raven stated.

"You don't miss a beat, do you?" Red X said in a flat voice.

"Not usually. That's Beast Boy's job," she told him. "Now, tell me why you're here."

"Why should I?" he questioned. He didn't sound rude at all, merely inquisitive, as if he really wanted to know why he should tell her why he was on her roof.

"If you're going to get what you want, then you're going to have to go through me. So A: you can ask nicely, or B: you can try to fight your way past me. I don't think choice B would be a wise decision. Just so we're clear on this, I'm not the kind of girl that can't hold her own in a battle," she warned him. It was clear from her tone of voice that she wanted him to explain himself or get out.

"And just what kind of girl are you?" Now he sounded somewhat bored.

"The half demon kind." The angry look she shot him told more than words.

"How do you manage to put so much into your glare?" And it was back to curiosity. "You looked angry, annoyed, threatening. I think I even saw self-loathing in there."

"Do not speak unless you can improve the silence."

"Is that why you aren't answering my question?" Another glare.

"How I do the things I do, is my business," Raven said curtly. "I believe I asked you a question first."

"Ah yes, what am I doing here? Well, I'm not sure myself," Red X said with a sigh. All he got in response was a raised eyebrow and a delicate snort from his companion. "Fine, I'm here because I got bored without interaction with the Titans."

"So you came back to what? Ask us for a duel? Smart move," Raven mocked.

"No, that is NOT why I'm here," he said in an annoyed fashion.

"Then you wan to get arrested?"

"Are you stupid?"

"Do you understand the process of elimination? They generally teach that in the third grade, or is it too advanced for you?"

"Why would I turn myself in? Do you honestly think I would come back for that?"

"You should have realized that that's what happens to thieves."

"That's where you're wrong. If I'm convicted of anything, then you Titans are going to be out of a job. You accepted assistance from a known thief and then proceeded to let him escape. That's illegal."

"Technically, I didn't accept any help from you; Robin did. I was pretty much frozen, if you care to remember."

"Then I hope you find a new leader soon."

"Fine, so you're not going to the police. I get it. _What do you want?_" Raven was getting really irked. Who did this guy think he was, showing up in the middle of the night, keeping her in the rain, and not even having the decency to explain why in hell he was even in town?

"I'd like a promise that I can stay in town without wondering whether or not the pathetic excuses of superheroes are going to show up wherever I go. Obviously, I won't be doing anything illegal, or that would give you valid reason to turn me in."

"If you want anyone to cooperate with you, then it probably isn't a good idea to insult them."

"Did I insult you?"

"I believe you called me a pathetic excuse of a superhero."

"I said '_The_ pathetic excuses of superheroes.' Not '_You_ pathetic excuse of a superhero.' There is a difference."

"So you were referring to my friends as pathetic? That's not much better."

"Just ignore that statement, okay?" Red X said with annoyance. Clearly she was trying his patience. "I just want a promise that I can stay in the city without being tracked down outside of my apartment, or whatever. I swear that whatever I do will be completely legal, so there won't be any need for a criminal retrieval on my behalf."

"Wow, retrieval, that's three syllables. I never knew you could use such big words." Red X wasn't the only one that was peeved; Raven was getting pretty bothered herself. If this idiot thought he could just waltz into the city and demand amnesty, then he had another think coming. Why should she allow him the freedom to roam about when there was no rational reason to trust him? Trust was based on past experiences that showed responsibility and that you could be depended upon; X had neither of these in his background.

"Look, sarcasm and rebukes aside, do we have a deal?"

"Don't get short with me! You need me to agree with your stupid scheme, so don't rush me."

"I don't need you specifically, just a Titan in general."

"Like there's another Titan that would even have let you stay up here for so long?" There was no response to her question, which was just as well because it was rhetorical. "How do we know you won't be back to your normal, thieving self again as soon as we say yes?"

"'We'?" he echoed. She could almost see the eyebrow that she knew was cocked up behind the mask.

"Fine, if _I_ say yes?" Raven clarified.

"You would have my permission to do whatever you want to me." Though she didn't like the wording of his choice, Raven began to consider his request. He wouldn't be hurting anyone, and they could come after him with the betrayal of the pact, and he had at least attempted to be civil with her… Perhaps it was worth a shot…

"If I say yes, will I regret it?" she asked slowly. She sensed a grin slip onto his face, though she couldn't see it.

"That, I do not know, but I won't be engaging in any criminal, illegal, or otherwise unlawful activities. Is that what you were alluding to?" Red X questioned cockily.

"I suppose so. Did you memorize the dictionary while you were gone? You're being quite annoying."

"No, I didn't memorize the dictionary, and haven't I already mentioned that I wasn't going to do anything dishonest? I thought I'd said it three or four times." Just what she needed, another cocky, egotistic, pompous, self-inflated, masked boy acting like he knew more than her. It was becoming something of a trend, it seemed.

"When you consider the fact that you are a known thief, and an ass to boot, is it really all that surprising that I don't completely trust you?" And she wasn't even being mean yet.

"Ouch, Raven, that hurt. I think I need a hug." _Idiotic egomaniac,_ Raven thought. _Why don't you go hug a tree? Or better yet, go hug a porcupine, or get run over by a car. Scratch that, get hit by a bull-dozer, and save me the trouble of throwing you off the roof._ "Hey, Raven, it stopped raining."

"It didn't stop raining, you idiot, it's just drizzling." Sometimes, stupidity just isn't tolerable.

"You would argue with Satan himself, wouldn't you?"

"Actually, I've already argued with him. Guess who lost?"

"You're too imperious. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, you know," Red X informed her with mock sadness.

"So now I'm a fly, as opposed to a pathetic excuse of a superhero? Aren't you flattering," Raven bit at him.

"I think I'm going to stop using examples now."

"Just like it stopped raining?"

"Smart ass."

"Dumb ass."

It could have gone on much longer, and it probably would have, if it weren't for outside influence. The sound of footsteps from inside the Tower drew the gazes of both demoness and chemically-powered thief to the door.

"That's my exit cue. See you soon, sexy," Red X said as he backed up and then jumped off the edge of the roof, disappearing into the darkness below. As if it had been set up, Robin stepped out of the Tower just after his counterpart faded from view.

"Rae, were you talking to someone?" her handsome masked leader asked. Raven barely contained a sigh at the use of her nickname; it was something she allowed only from Cyborg and Robin, the latter only barely tolerated. But lately, it was becoming less and less annoying.

"No one you'd want to talk to," she monotoned. This resulted in a raised eyebrow from Robin, but he knew better than to ask again. It was generally decided that if Raven didn't share the first time then either she didn't want you to know or you wouldn't want to know, 'generally' being the case because a certain green changeling just couldn't get that through his head.

"Alright… Are you going to go back to bed?" he asked her slowly, as if he was still half hoping for her to give him some clue as to who had been up there.

"I haven't been once, so I can't really go _back_. But yes, I am going to bed."

When she didn't make a move towards the door, he queried, "Are you going now?"

"I'll go down when you do." It was a very un-Raven-like statement, one that he would think over when he wasn't half asleep and out in the cold rain. She was usually quite independent.

And so, after Robin held the door open for her and let it close behind them, they began walking down the stairs together, in a semi-companionable silence. It had not escaped him that she had seemed reluctant to leave the rooftop, not had he missed the last, over-the-shoulder glance she had thrown back, one that, he felt sure, she thought he hadn't seen. Those, too, went into the file of his brain that he looked into when he had time and wasn't sleep deprived.

His room was first to appear out of the darkness of the hallways. With a soft goodnight- for fear of waking the slumbering members of the team of heroes- and a muffled swish of Raven's still dripping cloak, the two birds parted ways, the length of inky black hall growing longer by the moment as he watched her walk away without a second glance.

When Raven finally reached her own room, she didn't even bother punching in the code to her door, opting for the more easy route of stepping through the sheet of metal in a portal of swirling ebony energy. Lying on her floor, just in front of the window, was a hand written note, smeared slightly from water droplets. Though she didn't recognize the handwriting, she knew who it was from the instant she began reading the words.

_Raven-_

_Sorry I had to leave you so quickly up there, babe, but if bird boy found out I was sneaking around town, it wouldn't be worth it to stay. You don't mind keeping it a secret do you, dollface? I didn't think so, seeing as how you would be tried as an accomplice if I was thrown in jail. Just make sure none of your little friends finds me, and you won't regret you decision up on the roof. Like I said (multiple times, I might add), I won't be doing anything illegal for a while. Anyway, I have to run. Until next time, sexy._

_-X_

Her first thought after reading it through was 'The asshole was in my room!' The second thought was 'No one calls me anything other than my name and gets away with it. That self-absorbed pinhead is going to regret that.' Basically, it went downhill from there. She continued to mentally abuse him as she prepared for bed and after she climbed into bed as well. Many of her thoughts were that of revenge on the masked men in her life, for being so nosy and imposing. A lot of her plans involved trip to hell, but most of those were reserved for X. Robin just got hot water and dead fish, though not necessarily in the same plots.

And with those heart-warming, peaceful thoughts, Raven glided off to a comfortable sleep in which there were no masked boys parading through the streets, but a familiar looking boy with mesmerizing blue eyes and a brown eyed boy who kept appearing by her side at the most inopportune times. If she had known the almost prophetic quality of this dream, she would have taken a well deserved vacation for the next couple of weeks. But not everyone can predict the future, and so Raven continued on into the next day, unaware of the events she had set in motion.

Moocow

Ok, so I started it cheesy, and I ended it cheesy. Big deal, at least it's a multi-chapter story. Are you happy now? You get another story for me to work on. I hope you liked it. I have several scenes mapped out in my head, but it's hard to get them organized and put in the right words and the right places. Anyway, review if you liked it; review if you hated it; review if… if… if… I don't know, just review for heaven's sake.

Oh, I've got an idea. Let's play a game. I type in a quote, and if anyone can guess where I got it, then you get a surprise. Okay, here it is:

"_But lest you are my enemy,_

_I must enquire."_

"_O no my dear, let all that be;_

_What matter, so there is but fire_

_In you, in me?"_

Okay, I think that's it. If you figure out my challenge, then put the answer in a review. I know it's shorter than usual, but I can't put anything else in this chapter without continuing on for a few hundred more pages. And I can't really think of anything else to say, so I'm just going to go now. Till next time, peoples! Review, please!

_Ciao_

_**Raven-Angel-of-Darkness**_


	2. Chapter 2

Hi! I'm back, and I have another chapter of my wonderful story for you! Isn't it wonderful? Okay, if this chapter isn't up to par, I'm very sorry. I'm just in a really bad mood because of school. It's only the third week and already they're stressing us out. Anyway, I think I need to explain a couple things that I neglected in the previous chapter. Raven doesn't realize it yet, but she's annoyed that Robin interrupted her and Red X on the roof. Well, she knows she's annoyed about it, but it hasn't clicked yet that she wanted to be around X and that that is bad, in her mind. So her subconscious was punishing him for messing up something she doesn't even realized has happened yet. Confusing, but you'll get it later. And hopefully you know who the guys in the dream are. While most of my stories will have Robin with green eyes if they are mentioned, I thought that I'd go with blue because that puts more of a contrast between him and X than the green would. I'll tell who won my contest thingy from last chapter and what their prize is at the end of this chapter. Okay, I think that's it. On with the story!

* * *

**When One Door Closes**

Chapter Two

Everyone is different. Some people have short hair, while others boast long, waist-length tresses. There are those who are happy with their jobs, and those that dread the coming of each day because with it comes the thought of the job you only have to pay the bills. Certain people in this world know what they want, but this same world houses those that know nothing of what their goals in life are. Raven, resident bookworm of Titans' Tower, had always known exactly what she wanted. But, unfortunately for her, that was about to change.

Though she still thought she knew and had control over what she desired, Raven was in for a rude awakening of the worst kind. No one enjoys being proven wrong, and it's even worse to be countered by someone you consider your enemy. She was no exception. But the time for her to realize out she had been beguiled by a certain acquaintance was later. For the moment, Raven still believes to be above such petty things as emotional attachments, and therefore her anger with both herself and her charmer is yet to be seen.

Sadly for the gothic recluse, Raven was in for another, more immediate awakening that was not so much figurative as it was literal. The sonorous pounding on her door serves only to prove this point, as does the following lift of her eyelids. A few seconds of glaring later, Raven stood from her bed and walked over to her door. Of the many thoughts running through her head, one in particular kept repeating itself. _There better be a damn good reason for this, or else my visitor is going to get a first-hand view of the seventh layer of hell…_

Raven slid her door open, letting her caller get a good view of an irate half-demon. Sadly though, Robin didn't seem very intimidated by her heated glare. He simply shrugged his shoulders and walked past her into the room beyond. This was a shock, and Raven couldn't even find the energy to yell at him for his invasion. She blamed it on just waking up…

"Look, Rae, you know I wouldn't have come in here if I didn't have a good reason," he began.

"And that reason better be explained now, before I send you on a free trip to meet Lucifer." Monotonous, yet threatening, her specialty.

"As much fun as that sounds, I think you want to hear this. I think Red X is back." So much for the threatening part.

"And you know this how?"

"He… uh… Well, we talked this morning," Robin informed her uncomfortably. Raven gulped. If Robin found out that she'd just let him go, she'd be in for it.

"Really? About what?" she questioned.

"His rights, mostly. He said that he'd been granted an amnesty of sorts by one of the Titans and that if I wanted to keep this job, I'd leave him alone. He seemed rather adamant that he wouldn't be doing anything criminal. I don't know if we can trust him, but right now we don't have a choice. Do you think you could keep this from the others? I don't know who gave him this reprieve, but I'd like to find out, and I can't do that if they're constantly nagging about it. I need to see who looks guilty without saying anything about it directly to them."

"Um, okay, I guess. Wait, when did you talk to him?" she said nervously.

"This morning. The asshole woke me up. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten up before you. It's just six thirty now."

Raven groaned and threw herself on her bed, landing with a thump. She could almost hear it when Robin's eyes popped out of socket. That wasn't normal Raven behavior. Then again, he didn't usually wake her up at six in the morning.

"Alright, I'll help. Now go away, _you_ woke _me_ up, in case you didn't notice," she told him. Her voice was slightly muffled from lying face down on her bed.

"Um… okay, I'll be going then. Bye, Rae," he said as he walked out of her room. She didn't know it, but she'd just given him a good view of her backside, and he certainly didn't mind. While he did feel slightly guilty about thinking things like that about a teammate, it didn't stop him from visualizing her in a few… _choice_ outfits… As her door slid shut behind him, he shook his head a bit. She probably didn't even know about all the make fans she had in the city. He walked down the hall, still thinking. He knew she didn't read her fan mail; he saw her stick all the unopened envelopes into the paper shredder. Then again, maybe she didn't care. She didn't exactly react as well as Star did when she received catcalls in the street. Most of the time, she ended up making something explode just to scare the guy off. The Boy Wonder was starting to wonder himself if she even knew she was gorgeous…

* * *

An hour later found Red X sitting quietly on Raven's floor, waiting for her to wake up. Though it would probably be hazardous to his health when she did, he was starting to get a little impatient. How long did this girl need to sleep, for Christ's sake? He knew she had been woken by a certain color-blind teen for a conversation she probably didn't enjoy, but she still ought to be getting up soon. With a sigh, he leaned back until he was lying down on her floor. He figured he'd just have to wait a little longer. Fortunately for him (or maybe unfortunately), he didn't wait long.

"Exactly how long have you been in here?" So she was awake. Time to get this show rolling…

"Nice to see you too, honey."

"Call me that again, and you'll be eating out of a straw for the rest of your natural born life."

"Aren't you just a bucket of sunshine in the morning?"

"Have you never heard anyone call me the Ice Queen?"

"Oh, I've heard 'em call you a hell of a lot more than that, sexy." This comment earned him a groan as she turned over and buried herself in her pillow.

"Back to square one," Raven mumbled.

"Really? Well then I guess I'll just start over. Hello, starshine," he intoned in a mocking voice.

"Just shut up and go away. Robin will kill me if he finds out I let you stay in Jump," she said.

He chuckled. "Then just don't let him find out that you're the traitor."

"I am **not** a traitor!" she hissed as she sat up.

"I know. I just wanted to have your attention. You wouldn't mind trying to convince Wonder Bread that I'm harmless, would you?" he asked innocently.

"I usually try not to lie."

"Come on, just make him realize that I'm not up to no good this time. If anyone can do it, it'd be you," he whined.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she grumbled.

"Nothing, just that you probably have more sway over him than anyone else here," he said quickly.

"Uh-huh, yeah right. And why would you think that?" Her tone was one of obvious skepticism. It only made him want to prove her wrong even more.

Red X cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you blind or something? All you'd have to do is flash him a little thigh, and he'd do anything you asked."

Raven almost choked when she finally realized what he said. "Are you out of your mind? I can't do that. I won't do that! End of story. Now get out of my room. This discussion is over."

"Fine, but I'll be back," he informed her with a sigh. Then he walked over to her window, threw it open, and jumped out. By the time she ran over there and looked down, he was gone. She turned away from the window, grumbling loudly.

"It's too early to deal with this," Raven sighed. Suddenly her alarm went off. Looking at it, she realized that there must have been a power flicker the night before during the storm. It was flashing 6:00, the flashing meaning that it had been turned off and the time hadn't been reset. She remembered setting her alarm for 6:00 am before she had gone out on the roof, but she must have forgotten to turn it off when she got back. _Well, it's a little late for that now,_ she scolded herself mentally. With a flick of her powers, the machine was silenced, and Raven began to change clothes and make her way downstairs.

When she got to the kitchen, she was not surprised to see that Robin was the only one besides herself that had gotten up. He was sitting at the table flipping through the news paper with a scowl etched onto his face, sipping some kind of brown liquid. Raven started to hustle about the kitchen, setting her teapot on the stove to boil and preparing the ingredients for tea. While waiting for the hiss of the kettle, she walked past her leader to sit at the table and noticed what he was drinking. When she had herself situated in her seat, she began to speak.

"Robin, are you drinking coffee?" she questioned incredulously.

He frowned and responded, "Not technically, no. It's a mocha frappichino from Starbucks."

"So it's coffee…"

"Oh, shut up, at least it has chocolate in it."

"Did you just tell me to shut up?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"Don't push it, Wonder Bread," she warned, accidentally using the name Red X had called him.

"Are you telling me what to do?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." Great, now she was copying Robin. What next, a Beast Boy line?

"Don't make me hurt you, Rae."

"Don't make me laugh." Oh, even better, a quote from Terra.

"Don't insult me. And your water's boiling," he said as he looked back down at the paper.

"… Huh?" she said.

He smirked and began to speak very slowly, as if to a toddler, "I said, your water is boiling. Or is plain English too much for your overworked brain this morning?"

Raven glared at him and got up to finish making her tea. They sat in silence for a little while before they were joined by Cyborg, who walked in stretching and popping his back noisily.

"Morning, y'all. Sleep good?" he asked with a yawn.

"Hardly," Raven intoned.

"What she said," added Robin.

Cyborg grinned and started to talk. "What, did you two stay up all night?"

"You could say that," responded Raven.

His grin widened. "Y'all wouldn't have happened to be together, would you? 'Cause I thought I heard something, and if you were-" He was interrupted when the coasters they kept on the coffee table began to repeatedly attack him. "All right, all right! I was just joking, Rae. Guess it's the wrong day to piss you off."

"You got that right," she informed him with a glare. Then the ever-growing party became a quartet when Starfire walked in.

"Oh, joyous greetings of the mornings, friends! I do hope that every found their sleep to be well and that we may all partake in the breaking of the fast!" exclaimed the cheerful alien.

"Sure, Star, whatever you say," Robin said distractedly as he continued to read his paper. The giddy girl flashed him one of her hundred-watt smiles and flew into the kitchen to pour herself some Lucky Charms with mustard.

Soon Beast Boy joined the odd group of teens, and the usual pre-breakfast fight broke out. Not wishing to take part in the Meat vs. Tofu debate, Raven quietly slipped off to her room. _Finally,_ she thought, _I can be alone._ Unfortunately for her, she was mistaken.

"Hello, beautiful." _Damn it all to hell, is he ever going to leave me alone?_

"I thought I told you to get out, X," she said viciously.

"I did get out. I just came back."

"So I noticed."

"What, you aren't disappointed, are you?" he asked tauntingly.

"You could say that," Raven responded.

"Terribly sorry, love."

"Would you stop calling me names? It's degrading."

"No problem, Rae." She sighed and shook her head.

"Whatever, is there something you want?"

"Perhaps."

"Well, make it quick, because I generally make it a point not to associate with known criminals."

"You never said if you'd help me convince Wonder Bread to leave me alone. I'm still waiting for an answer, you know." If he noticed that she almost started laughing when he mentioned Robin, he didn't show it.

"Don't call him that," Raven rebuked him, "And I don't know if I'm going to help you or not. If the opportunity presents itself, then I will, but only because he'll grill me for letting you stay. But if not, then you're on your own."

"Let me put it this way. If you don't help me, the police may conveniently find out that you know I'm here and you have, in fact, been helping me hide from the rest of the team. How does that sound?"

"To think that I'd thought you were better than that," she said with a sigh.

"I'd say I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not. I excel at not giving a shit. Experience has taught me that interest begets expectation, and expectation begets disappointment, so the key to avoiding disappointment is to avoid interest. A equals B equals C equals A, or whatever. I also don't have a lot of interest in being a good person or a bad person. From what I can tell, either way, you're screwed. Bad people are punished by society's laws, and good people are punished by Murphy's Law. So you see my dilemma," Red X explained to her.

"Great, now you're philosophizing. What next, are you going to be a game show host?"

"Answer me, Raven," he ordered hotly.

"Fine, but only because you used my real name," she agreed heavily.

"I'd use it more, but I don't think you'd like the circumstances," X cockily informed her.

"I don't even want to know," murmured Raven.

"Well, hope you have a good day, babe. I gotta run now." He walked back over to her window, but before he left Raven interrupted him.

"I thought we established that I want to be called by **my name**," she groaned exasperatedly.

She could almost see the grin across his face. "Ciao, Raven," he called as he leapt from her window. This time, she didn't go to the window to look; she just marched straight over to her dresser and picked up a threatening looking mirror lying on top of it. As she settled into a comfortable position on her bed, she thought, _I think it's time I spent a little quality time with myself…_

* * *

YAY! I finally got the second chapter out! Aren't you happy? Okay, I do realize that it's been a while, but school's been… Well, it's been taking a lot out of me, to say the least. And this was kind of hard to write. I had a couple of ideas in my head, and I wasn't really sure which way to take this. Not to mention the fact that I'm really sick right now. You people are lucky you're getting this. Now be happy, and review.

Oh yeah, the winner of my little contest thingy was Emyreal Melody. You get to pick what I write next. Here are the choices (keep in mind that I have an obsession with Rob/Rae):

Choice A: Raven is in an unsatisfying relationship with Beast Boy. When she goes to Robin for advice, will he let his own feeling get in the way of their friendship? I can't think of a title yet, and I'm pretty sure this is a one-shot.

Choice B: A few years after the Titans disbanded because of a fight concerning Raven, Robin goes out to eat, and wouldn't you know, his waitress just happens to be Raven. After a night spent reminiscing, will he be able to convince that her friends want to see her again? No title yet, and uncertain number of chapters.

Choice C: The Titans are powerless, mostly jobless, and going to college. Raven and Robin have been best friends since grade school. Now they're beginning to discover that certain feelings may be best left hidden. Will she reject him, or will the rest of the gang get her to kiss and make up? It's an AU called 'Wrath, Seduction, and Paradise Lost'. Multi-chapter

Choice D: Raven made a big mistake that caused her to leave the Titans. Now eight years later, she gets rediscovered by more than just the Titans. Will her old friends be able to help her? Will she let them? No title yet, and multi-chapter.

Okay, Empyreal Melody, just tell me in a review which one you want next. It might be a while before I can get it out, but I will get it out eventually. If you don't choose, then I'm just gonna let everyone else vote for which one they want next.

That's all for now, peoples! See ya later!

_Ciao_

_**Raven-Angel-of-Darkness**_


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